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The Temple of the Golden Pavilion 
by Yukio Mishima

Essay Prompt:
3-5pgs (3 full pages, not 2 1/2)
12pt font (Times, Arial, Calibri only)
Double spaced  

Choose a theme in Temple of the Golden Pavilion that interests you and analyze its development throughout the novel. 
You must pull no less than four quotations from the book to support your analysis and provide sufficient explanation/elaboration following the quotes.   Themes you may want to address:
* Beauty vs Destruction
* Action vs Knowledge
* Inner Self/World vs Outer Self/World
* Perception vs Reality
* Pleasure vs Pain/Scorn
* Acceptance vs Rejection
* Friendship
* Duty
* (Non)Attachment
* compare/contrast Kashiwago and Mizoguchi (or Tsurokawa)
* analyze Mizoguchi's relationship with the Superior and/or his parents
* Mizoguchi's view/treatment of women (why are all women Uiko?) 
* compare/contrast Mizoguchi to the author, Yukio Mishima  
**** make sure you have a THESIS and STRONG SUPPORT ********
READING SCHEDULE: 
Chapter 1 - in class Thursday 7/16
Chapter 2 - at home, due Friday 7/17 
Chapter 3 - in class Friday 7/17 
Chapter 4, 5 & 6 - at home, due Monday 7/20
Chapter 7 - in class Monday 7/20
Chapter 8 - at home, due Tuesday 7/21
Chapter 9 - in class Tuesday 7/21 
Chapter 10 - at home due Wednesday 7/22 
MISHIMIA RESOURCES: 
Yukio Mishima - 'The Lost Samurai' 

Medea & Antigone - Writing 

1. Explore the ideas of Martha Nussbaum: 
As you read, ask yourself: What is her stance? What, if anything, does she advocate? 

2. After you feel like you understand Nussbaum's positions, write 2-3 paragraphs explaining how Nussbaum would comment on Medea and Antigone. Support your assertions with 3-4 quotes pulled from the play(s) and other outside readings. How would Nussbaum comment on the notion of dike? How would she interpret the actions of Medea, Creon (king of Corinth), Jason, Antigone, Haemon, Teiresias, Eurydice, Ismene, and Creon (king of Thebes)?

3. Choose one of the philosophers from The Philosophy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained listed below. Write a short paragraph (5-8 sentences) summarizing their ideas. 
"Mind has no gender."
- Mary Wollstonecraft (p.175)
"Man is defined as a human being and woman as a female." 
- Simone De Beauvoir (p.266-7)
"Society is dependent upon a criticism of its own traditions." 
- Jurgen Habermas (p.306-7)

4. How would this philosopher comment on Medea and Antigone? Pull 3-4 quotes from the play(s) and the reading(s) to support your assertion. 

5. Put all of your writing together.  Add transitions. 

6. Help each other write a thesis. Add an introduction and a conclusion. 

7. Turn in your completed paper. 

Medea   by Euripides

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Tuesday 7/28:  Research!
1. When did they begin? What was the world like at that time? (Give basic political/global context)
2. Who were popular playwrights?
3. Who was Euripides? What is his background?
4. What was the role of women in Greek society at that time?
5. What did Greeks do for entertainment at that time?
6.  When and where did the story of Jason and the Argonauts take place?
7. Is there an author? If not, why?
8. What is the Golden Fleece?
9. Who is Medea?
10. What are the key plot points/events in Jason & the Argonauts?
11. Print a map and label where the story's key action takes place. 
Email your findings to Christi

Wednesday 7/29:
Read the handout "Brief Note on the Mythological Background to Euripides' Medea."   If you do not want the story spoiled, do not read the last 3 paragraphs!
Begin reading Medea

Ryunosuke Akutagawa Short Stories 

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Materials:
Rashomon Full Text 
In a Bamboo Grove Full Text 
Watch Rashomon on Hulu

Paper #1 Prompt: 

  • Final Draft due Wednesday July 15
  • 3-4 pages
  • 12pt font (Cambria, Calibri, Times New Roman, Georgia or Arial)
  • Double Spaced 
  • Use quotes/evidence to support your thesis! 
Your essay should address one or more of these questions: 
  1. Compare/Contrast the film to the stories
  2. How does the film/writing deal with morality?
  3. How does point of view shape our ideas of guild, evil, blame, honesty and ethics? 
  4. How does each deal with evil and its relation to intent? 
  5. How did the film change the way we view the characters and/or the story/stories? 
  6. Are the characters consistent between film and story? How? 
  7. Rashomon is often cited as the greatest film of all time. Do you agree/disagree? Why? Find a review and engage with it. How did Kurosawa use Ryunosuke's source material? 
  8. How does the film deal with truth, perception and lies? The stories?
  9. What are the characters' motivation(s) to lie? Do they differ in the film versus the story?